Wire-tie-twisting apparatus



July 3, 1928' A. M. BATES WIRE TIE TWISTING APPARATUS Filed Au 2s, 1924 %1 (QW W 9- C/LMMW Patented Jul 3, 1928.

UNITED STATES 1 1,675,745 PATENT OFFICE.

ADELMEB M. nuns, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, AssIeNon, BY mnsnn nsslenmnn'rs, 'ro BATES VALVE BAG COR ORATION, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A com-cannon or DELAWARE.

wInn-ITmerwIs'rmG APPARATUS.

Application filed August 25, 1924. Serial No. 733,876.

My invention relates to apparatus for twisting wire ties about the mouths of bags, and has as its chief object to provide apparatus in which one end of the tie will automatically engage the twisting tool when the other end of the tie is drawn past the tool into position adjacent the mouth of a fine form of my invention is shown in the,

accompanying drawings, in which-' Figure l is an elevation of the apparatus.

Figure 2 shows a detail of the apparatus.

The apparatus comprises a suitable supporting bench 1 upon which is mounted supporting and operatingineans 2 for atwisting tool 3. A container or hopper & is mounted on the tool operating means 2. The hopper shownconsists of a box having its front end open, exposing the ties 5 therein; I prefer to make the hopper of such size as to receive the usual commercial carton 6 in which such ties are supplied, so

that the hopper may be filled by inverting a carton and inserting it in the hopperin the manner shown.

The tie illustrated consists of a wire 7 having an upset end 8. The twisting tool illustrated is similar to that shown in my prior patent for a wire tie twisting tool Serial No. 1,284,986, granted November 19, 1918. The head of the tool is slotted at 9 to receive the wire, and has an enlarged opening 10 to receive the upset end of the tie. The opening 10 may pass entirely through the head of the tool, or the bottom may be closed by a plug 11.

Between the open end of the hopper and the toolthere is a guide chute 12 formed by a lip on the end of the box. This guide chute has side flanges 13, and narrows towards the tool. A groove 14 in the bottom of the chute leads towards the tool.

In operation, the tool supporting and opcrating means holds the tool with its axis substantially horizontal, and normally with the slotopening upwards. A carton of ties is inverted into the hopper, so that the ties will rest in the hopper in the manner shown, substantially parallel with the axis of the tool. The operative then reaches into the open end of the box or hopper and'seizes the forward end 15 of a tie and pulls it forward over the tool and into proper relation to a bag mouth located in front of the tool.

The rear end of the tool follows down the guide chute, is drawn out of the slot 16 at the end of the guide between the flanges 13, and the wire 7 drops into the slot 9 and the head 8 drops into the openin 10 with (t nt any particular guidance by the opera The forward end of the tie is then bent around the bag and slipped into the tool, and the tool is operated and the tie completed in any suitable way.

An essential feature ofmv inventionis the arrangement of a guide in such a way that it will guide the rear end of a tie into operative engagement with a twisting tool whenthe front end of the tie is drawn for ward past the tool. While I have disclosed a specific embodiment of my invention in which the several features co-operate in a beneficial manner to achieve my purpose, it is obvious that numerous changes in the tool, tie, hopper and guide may be made within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of my invention, and that some of these changes might render desirable drawing the tie past the tool at a point other than directly over it. A hop-' per and guide such as disclosed may be pro-. vided for use with tools heretofore used without them, and either the hopper or guide might be used alone, for some benefits might be realized from the use of my hopper constructed and positioned substan tially as disclosed without the use of the guide chute, while the guide chute might be useful even if the ties were taken from a source other than the hopper described. Therefore, I do not wish thescope of my invention to be narrowed by the disclosure beyond the natural meaning of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In combination, a tie-twisting too], means for supporting and operating the tool with its axis substantially horizontal, a receptacle mounted above and to the rear of the tool and adapted to contain ties arranged substantially horizontally and parallel with the axis of the tool, the end of the receptacle towards the tool being open and there being' a slot in the tool adapted to receive the end of a tie, and a guide between the receptacle and tool narrowing to a slot above the tool and adapted to guide the rear end of a tie into the slot in the tool when the forward end of the tie is pulled forward from the receptacle and over the tool.

2. In combination, a tie-twisting tool having a slot adapted to receive the upset end of a wire tie, a support holding the tool with its axis substantially horizontal and with its slot normally opening upward, a receptacle mounted above and to the rear of the tool and having its end towards the tool open, and a chute between the box and tool, the chute ending in a slot above and in alinement with the slot in the tool.

3. In combination, a tie-twisting tool having a slot adapted to receive the upset end of a wire tie, a support holding the tool with its axis substantialy horizontal and with its slot normally opening upward and a receptacle mounted above and to the rear of the tool, the receptacle comprising a box adapted to contain ties arranged substantially parallel with the axis of the tool and having its end towards the tool open.

4. In combination, a tie-twisting tool and a tie receptacle mounted above and to the rear of the tool, the receptacle comprising a rectangular box having its longer sides substantially parallel with the axis of the tool and having its end towards the tool open.

5. In combination, a tie-twisting tool and a tie receptacle mounted above and to the rear of the tool, the receptaclecomprising a rectangular box having its'end towards the tool open, and having its bottom slanting upward towards its open end.

6. A bag-tie hopper comprising a box substantially rectangular in horizontal section and open at one end and having a lip extending outward and downward from the open end, the lip forming a chute narrowing to a slot at its lower end.

7. In combination, a tie-twisting tool adapted to receive the end of a bag-tie, a support for the tool, and a bag-tie hopper comprising a box open at one end and having'a'lip extending outward and downward from the open end, the lip forming a chute narrowing to a slot at its lower end, the box being mounted with said slot in position to guide the end of a tie into operative relation with the tool. V

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name to this s ecification.

ADELM R M. BAT 1S. 

